1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of containers and specifically to a collapsible and reusable container and a method for use.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Products, articles of manufacture or commerce are transported between locations and usually in containers. These containers are usually made of paper, cardboard, wood or other materials. These materials are made from trees and other natural resources that are rapidly decreasing. After these materials and articles have reached the end of their destination, the containers that housed such materials as they are disposable, are usually thrown away and result in landfills. Other containers that are recyclable and not thrown away require sorting and shipping to other facilities in the recycling process, which contribute to pollution during chemical treatment processes.
Other shipping containers are composed of reusable materials such as plastic and are usually reused several times before they are disposed of However, before these plastic containers can be reused, they require shipping back to their origination location. Since these plastic containers occupy the same volume of space whether they are full or empty, shipping these plastic containers back to their original location means that the same amount of space in the shipping vehicle is required to ship them back as is required to ship them to the destination location. This necessitates that such vehicles be dedicated to ship such plastic containers back to their original location for their reuse. This also becomes a waste of resources. By way of example, a large chain such as Burger King having over 8,700 branches in the United States must transport produce or vegetable products across the country and as each product is transported, trash is produced by the shipping boxes that are currently being used. Additionally, factories must make an additional box to replace every box that is thrown away.
The present invention relates to a collapsible and reusable container that solves both of the above mentioned problems. The present invention is a collapsible and reusable container that can be reused repeatedly and can be made from a variety of different materials. After the products or raw materials are shipped to their destinations in the collapsible and reusable container of the present invention, the collapsible and reusable container can be collapsed down to a flat, compact package occupying minimal volume with no small or loose parts that can be lost during shipping. This collapsed flat package can be easily stacked and shipped back to its original location occupying minimum space on the shipping vehicles when collapsed. This results in extra space that is conserved and can be used for more productive purposes, such as to ship other products either back to their original location or to new locations. Current commercial systems are utilized world wide. These are a closed system, used by chain stores; a semi-closed system as used by supermarkets; or an open system as used by end users.
The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention is extremely easy to assemble and collapse without the need for tools or special skills or instructions. The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention can be securely locked with a single lock whereby the bottom and top sides can be locked into place thereby locking all sides into place.
The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention may provide an airtight means in which articles such as documents would be protected from environmental elements or alternatively, a means in which the contents would be open to external conditions, in instances of transport of produce.
The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention will be easily accepted in all various industries, including but not limited to, clothing industries, shoe industries, food industries, auto part industries, fruit and vegetable industries, or any other industry requiring shipping of articles from one locale to another.
The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention will be accepted by various users and will become a standard in the shipping industry due to its low cost in manufacturing.